Report: Israel to return bodies of terrorists

PA media claims Israel will hand over the bodies of terrorists who carried out attacks in the current terror wave. Israel not confirming.

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Reut Hadar, 16/08/16 05:42

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Palestinian Authority-based media reported on Monday evening that Israel had agreed to hand over the bodies of terrorists who carried out attacks in the current terror wave so that they are returned to their families.

According to the reports, some of the bodies will be handed over to the PA within one day, and the first body will be that of a terrorist who opened fire on a bus in the Ramot junction in Jerusalem six months ago.

The bodies will reportedly be transferred to PA representatives, and from there will be returned to the families, who promised to bury them in modest and quiet funerals.

The reports further said that one of the main conditions for the return of the bodies is bail in the amount of thousands of shekels per body, with the funding coming from the Palestinian Ministry in charge of Prisoner Affairs.

Israel is not responding to the reports for the time being.

The Israeli government had at one point promised to stop the transfer of terrorists’ bodies to the PA, though this would not be the first time that Israel has done so after promising to cease the practice.

The policy was a bone of contention between former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who in the past argued that the return of terrorists’ bodies to their families prevents escalations, and Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who has opposed such transfers.

While in office, Ya’alon opted to return the bodies of slain terrorists, while Erdan, who has authority over the transfers of terrorists from within Israeli sovereign territory, had in the past prevented such handovers.

In recent months, however, Israel has begun to transfer the bodies of eastern Jerusalem terrorists, under the condition that their burial be conducted immediately following the return, and not involve large displays of public support for the terrorists and their actions.